Bhum Jai Thai calls for election postponement

Bhum Jai Thai party candidates Friday issued a statement to call on the government to defer the February 2 election until the situation has become peaceful.

The candidates, including Sopon Sarum, Bongjong Wongtrairat and Prachak Klaewkla, held a press conference to call for the election postponement.

Sopon told the press conference that his party had a stand to contest the election once the House was dissolved but his party did not want to see the election held amid severe rifts. He said the Bhum Jai Thai saw that there should be rules accepted by all sides before the election would be held.

Sopon said even the Office of the Auditor General also wanted the election to be delayed.

He said the situation worsened after the government declared the state of emergency, which also affected election campaigns.

Sopon said Bhum Jai Thai candidates would stop election campaigns from now to affirm the party’s stand.

Sopon said he had informed Bhum Jai Thai leader Anutin Charnweerakul before his party candidates decided to make a joint statement.

“We will not obstruct the election but we want to have it postponed,” Sopon said.

“We want the government to set rules that are acceptable to all sides first. We would like to call on politicians to step back. They will just return to power late. If politicians step back, the country will be peaceful and the people will return homes and the election will be held.”

Boonjong said the election would not bode well for the country at all.

He said even the Election Commission would like to postpone the poll on several reasons.